Post hole digging machine



1366' 1931. N. A WRIGHT 1,836,055

POST HOLE DIGGING MACHTNE Filed April 12, 1930 J4 INVE NTO R Norman zzz'zm ym ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES NORMAN A. WRIGHT, or PONTIAC, MIcHIGAiv, Assleivon To ro vTiAo TRACTOR com PANY, or PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, A C R ORATION OF MICHIGAN p rosT HOLE meenve MACHINE Application filed April 12,

ling motor fixedly mounted on the chassis,

and this mode of operation is in effect at all times notwithstanding the adjustability of the digger mechanism. Still another object of the invention is to provide a'mechanism ,for driving the cable drum positively in either direction, as required by law in many localities.

The invention is fully disclosed byway of example-in the following description and in the. accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a side elevation of the machine;

D Fig. 2 is a detail plan view, partly in sectron;

Fig. 3 is a detail transverse vertical section, partly in elevation, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of Figure 1.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The machine embodies a chassis 1 mounted on wheels 2 and supporting amotor 3 fixedly thereon. At one end of the chassis v is provided a boom 4 equipped in the usual manner with a cable 5. This cable winds on a drum 6 suitably supported by the chassis. .A set of four bearings 7 stand on the chassis and support a pair of aligned shafts 8 and 9 which are spaced at their confronting ends as clearly shown in Flgures 2 and 3. The inner ends of the shaft support a gear box 10 and further carry a pair of bevel gears 11 and 12 disposed within the box.

To one of the intermediate. sides of the box is secured av sleeve member 13. A shaft 14 for operating digger mechanism presently 1930.. Serial No. 443,885.

' carries an intermediate gear.16 meshing with the g sllandl2 as-also shown in Fi 11113 2.- t ,V I.

The digger mechanism is of known constructlonand is conta ned within a-casing A 17 resting in a cradle 18. A pair; of brack ets19 are supported by the chassis for-maimtaming one of-the ends of thecradle which has dependingscrews' 20-passing through the brackets, each :screw' beingequipped with Pflll of adjusting" nuts 2l;at opposite sides of the bracket, whereby theelevation of the rear end of tliecradle may be'adjusted- I The forward endof the casing 17 iissupported by a frame structureincluding a pair of right angular end members22 joined by an intermediate bar 23.1 One face of the bar 23 is attached to the casing 17,.whi-le theother i face carr1esa 'r1ng24of angularcross sec v tion rotatable on a collar-25 on, the forward;

end of the sleeve- 13. The end arms26 of the members '22 are slotted at 127 to receive square blocks 28 mountedon the outerends ofthe shafts 8 and 9 andadapted'to' turn thereon. In this position the frame serves as a brace to prevent the shaft 14 from bending laterally and becauseof the slots 27 is permitted to turn with thecasing 17around I the shaft 14 casing. I The digger mechanism further; includes a vertical shaft 29 carrying a suitable tool 30 at its lower ,end and adapted to be driven the other plane by the swivelmotion ofthe casing 17 about the shaft 14, the adjustment in either or both planes being made by means of the pairs of nuts 21. I

in axial adjustments of the The shaft 8 carries a pulley 31 connected 7 means of a belt 32 to the motor 3. The shaft 33 of the drum 6 is equipped at one end with response to a tendency to turn reversely A a gear 34 housed in a casing 35. In this casi mg is j ournalled a shaft 36 carrying a worm 37 meshing with the gear 34 and of such pitch that it cannot be driven by the gear in; I

through a weight on the boom end of the cable 5.

The shafts 8. and 9 further carry loose clutch members 38 and 39 respectively which are connectedby gear and sprocket devices 40 to the endsofthe shaft 36. On the shafts "are splined driving clutch members 41 and 42 respectively held by means of arms 43 and a shifter rod 44 at a greater distance apart than the distance between themembers 3 8 and 8 9 Thus, it is possible to release both driving members simultaneously from the loose members and engage only one driving member with its cooperating loose member at a time.

It will be evident that the shafts 8 and 9 turn in. opposite directions 'by reason of the intermediate gear 16 and that the Worm 37 and hence the dr'umb may be turned positively in opposite directions by selection of the'clutches.

I Although a specificembodiment of the in-' vention has been illustrated and described, it

will beu i'iderstood thatvarious alterations in the details of construction may be made without departing from'the scope of the invention, as indicated by the'appended claims. What I'claii'n is 1: In' a post hole digging machine, chas-;

sis, a-shaft mounted thereon, a frame having arms sli'dable on the-ends of said shafts, a digger mechanism caslng havlng one end 'j'our'nalled insaid frame, meansfor verticallgyadju sti'ng the other end of said casing, and a shaft in-said casing geared to the first named shafts.

' In a oosthoie di in machine aboom bt) b 7 7 acable'on said boom, a drum on which said cable is wound, amotor, means for positively turning said drum in opposite directions comprisinga pair of aligned shafts, one of which is geared to said motor, beveled pinions on the confronting ends of said shafts, an inter mediatepinion meshing with the first named pinions whereby said shafts are caused to turn in opposite directions, clutch members loose on said shafts and geared to said drum,

cooperating drivingfcluteh members keyed on said shafts and adapted to selectively engage'said loose members, a frame] having armsslidablefon the ends of said shafts, a

digger mechanism casing having one end journ'alled in said frame, means for vertically adjusting the other end of said casing, and a shaft in said casing and carrying said intermediate pinion. 1

' In testimonywhereof I afiix my signature.

NORMAN WRIGHT. 

